Chapter:- 1 ASHER

The night was unusually dark.

Rain poured relentlessly from the heavens, striking the windows like restless fingers. To some, it might have been a beautiful night peaceful, even comforting. But to me, it felt different.

The sky seemed burdened by a secret.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, sometimes loud enough to shake the walls, sometimes so faint that it sounded like a warning whispered through the darkness.

The weather was beautiful, yet unsettling.

It was as if the storm already knew what was about to happen.

As if it was preparing me for a story written not in words, but in betrayal.

I lay on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

For weeks, the same thoughts had been haunting me.

Elena.

The girl I once believed I loved.

Back in school, she had been my biggest crush. I used to look for her in crowded hallways, wait for her messages, and imagine what it would be like to be with her.

So when she confessed her feelings to me, I didn't hesitate to say yes.

At the time, I thought it was love.

But now, I knew the truth.

What I had felt was nothing more than attraction.

And that realization was slowly destroying me.

The worst part was that Elena had done nothing wrong.

She was kind, caring, and beautiful. She had never hurt me, never lied to me, and never given me a reason to doubt her.

Yet here I was, thinking about ending our relationship.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"What kind of person does that make me?"

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

I couldn't keep pretending to love her when I didn't.

But I couldn't bring myself to break her heart either.

No matter which choice I made, someone was going to get hurt.

And somehow, that thought hurt me more than anything else.

I hated myself for it.

I shouldn’t have accepted her confession.

I shouldn’t have let it reach this point.

My eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling until everything started to blur.

My body felt heavy.

My thoughts louder than reality.

Then

A notification broke the silence.

My phone lit up.

And just like that, I was pulled out of my thoughts and thrown back into reality.

I picked it up.

And froze.

My phone vibrated once again.

Unknown Number.

"ASHER, YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND."

I frowned and quickly typed back.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

The reply came almost instantly.

"THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT."

"WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS WHAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS DOING RIGHT NOW."

My jaw tightened.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

A few moments passed.

Then another message appeared.

"IF YOU WANT TO CATCH YOUR GIRLFRIEND RED-HANDED, COME TO THIS ADDRESS."

A picture of a motel followed.

I stared at the screen in disbelief.

"WHO ARE YOU TO GIVE ME ORDERS?"

"LOOKS LIKE YOU DON'T MIND YOUR GIRLFRIEND HAVING FUN WITH SOMEONE ELSE."

My grip tightened around the phone.

"THAT BETTER BE A LIE. 

BECAUSE IF YOU'RE PLAYING GAMES WITH ME, FINDING YOU WON'T BE DIFFICULT.

AND WHEN I DO, YOU'LL REGRET IT."

A few seconds later, another message arrived.

"WE'LL SEE WHO ENDS UP REGRETTING IT."

"FOR NOW..."

"GOOD LUCK."

I stared at the screen for a moment.

Then I left the message on seen.

Whatever game this bastard was playing, I was about to find out.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed my blazer from the chair and snatched my car keys from the table.

I rushed out of my room and headed downstairs.

The moment I reached the living room, everyone's attention shifted toward me.

"Where are you going at this hour?"

"Is everything alright?"

"What happened?"

Questions came from every direction.

Normally, I would've answered them.

Tonight, I couldn't.

My mind was elsewhere.

Without saying a single word, I walked past them and headed straight for the front door.

"ASHER!"

I heard my brother's voice call out from behind me.

But I didn't stop.

I didn't turn around.

I simply stepped outside and made my way toward my car.

Right now, nothing mattered more than finding Elena.

The motel wasn't far from my mansion.

Under normal circumstances, it would have taken me nearly twenty minutes to get there.

Tonight, I made it in less.

The entire drive felt like a blur.

My foot remained pressed against the accelerator as the city lights flashed past me.

Rain continued to pour from the sky, but I paid no attention to it.

The only thing on my mind was Elena.

The moment the motel came into view, I slammed the brakes and brought the car to a stop.

Without even bothering to grab an umbrella, I stepped out and shut the door behind me.

The rain soaked through my clothes almost instantly.

I didn't care.

My heart pounded violently against my chest as I ran toward the entrance.

The staff greeted me the moment I entered, but their voices sounded distant.

I ignored them all and headed straight for the reception desk.

There was only one thing I needed to know.

Was Elena really here?

The moment I reached the reception desk, I placed both of my hands on the counter.

The receptionist looked up and smiled politely.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I need some information."

"Of course, sir."

"Can you tell me if someone named Elena is staying here tonight?"

The receptionist turned toward her computer and began typing.

For a few seconds, the only sound between us was the clicking of the keyboard.

Then she nodded.

"Yes, sir. A guest named Elena checked in earlier this evening."

My heart sank.

For a moment, I couldn't say anything.

She was really here.

I swallowed hard before asking my next question.

"Was she alone?"

The receptionist glanced at the screen again.

"No, sir."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the counter.

"Who is she with?"

The receptionist hesitated.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't share that information."

"Please."

Her expression softened slightly, but she shook her head.

"It would be against our policy."

I clenched my jaw.

"Call your manager."

A few minutes later, the manager arrived.

The moment he saw me, his eyes widened.

"MR. ASHER?"

I nodded impatiently.

"I need information about a guest."

The manager immediately understood that something was wrong.

Without asking any questions, he turned toward the receptionist.

"Help him."

"Sir, but—"

"That's an order."

The receptionist reluctantly looked back at her screen.

After a moment, she spoke.

"Elena checked in with a man named Roger."

Roger.

For a second, I thought I had heard her wrong.

ROGER????

My mind immediately went blank.

There was only one Roger in Elena's life.

Her ex-boyfriend.

The same man she had broken up with two years ago.

The same man she claimed she never wanted to see again.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

This couldn't be happening.

It simply couldn't.

"Which room?" I asked quietly.

The receptionist looked toward the manager.

After receiving his approval, she answered.

"Room 103."

Room 103.

The number echoed inside my head like a curse.

For a moment, I simply stood there, staring at the key card in my hand.

My palms had begun to sweat.

No.

There had to be another explanation.

Maybe Roger needed help.

Maybe Elena was only meeting him to settle something from their past.

Maybe those messages were nothing but a cruel joke.

I wanted to believe that.

God, I wanted to believe that.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my trembling legs to move.

The hallway stretched endlessly before me.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

The sound of my shoes echoed against the polished floor.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

My heartbeat matched every step.

The further I walked, the harder it became to breathe.

Room 101.

I swallowed nervously.

Everything is fine.

Room 102.

My fingers tightened around the key card.

She's innocent.

She would never do this to me.

Then finally—

Room 103.

My footsteps came to an abrupt stop.

The golden numbers stared back at me from the door.

My heart pounded so violently that I could hear it in my ears.

For a few seconds, I simply stood there.

Frozen.

Terrified.

Part of me wanted to open the door and learn the truth.

The other part wanted to turn around and leave.

Because once that door opened...

Nothing would ever be the same again.

Slowly, I raised my shaking hand.

The key card trembled between my fingers.

"Please..." I whispered.

I wasn't sure whether I was praying for Elena or for myself.

With one final breath, I slid the card into the lock.

A soft click echoed through the hallway.

The door unlocked.

For a moment, I just stood there.

My hand rested on the doorknob while my heart threatened to burst out of my chest.

This was it.

The moment that would either prove my faith in Elena...

Or destroy it forever.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"ELENA!"

My voice echoed through the room.

The moment the door swung open, my entire body froze.

My mind went blank.

The blood drained from my face.

No.

No.

No.

This couldn't be real.

The key card slipped from my trembling fingers and hit the floor with a sharp clatter.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't even blink.

All I could do was stare.

And in that moment...

My entire world shattered.

~ End of Chapter 1 ~

~ 💺🍿~

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